


Liar

by ACuckoo



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Family, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-25 01:53:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10754292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ACuckoo/pseuds/ACuckoo
Summary: Leonardo has had enough of Donnie telling so many lies....





	Liar

Once again, he’d been caught. 

Lately, Leo had been catching Donnie in little lies here and there, and he was sick of it. 

He was tired of his younger brother saying these less than truthful things. Even now Donnie was lying right to his face, and it took everything in Leo not to call him out, although he didn’t know why he didn’t. Everyone was there; Splinter, Mikey, Raph, Casey, and April. It would have been the perfect opportunity to catch Donnie off guard. How would he have reacted if Leo called him out on his lie right in front of everyone?

Leo crossed his arms over his chest as he listened to Donnie spout out his nonsense. 

“It’s okay, Donnie. Just let me know when you fix it. I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon,” April said, rubbing Donnie’s back. 

The genius turtle continued to poke and prod her T-Phone, eyeing every little wire and battery inside of it. For some reason it had fizzed out while she was using it and Donnie couldn’t see the reason right off the bat. 

“It’s funny. I’m the one who invented this and I can’t even figure out how to fix it.” He chuckled awkwardly as he tilted his head at the puzzling device. “I guess I’m not as smart as I think I am!” 

It was Leo’s turn to tilt his head. Did Donnie really think anyone would agree with that? Donnie may have been lying more often lately, but that didn’t mean he was good at it. Yet, as Leo sat there waiting for someone other than himself to say something about his brother’s lie he realized that he was truly the only one who caught it. Everyone just laughed along at Donnie’s jab at himself, then left him to fiddle with the T-Phone. He retreated to his lab where Leo followed him, a glare set in his features. 

“How long do you think it’ll take you to fix the phone?” Leo asked, startling his brother who hadn’t realized he wasn’t alone in his lab. After taking a deep breath, Donnie sat down at his desk and tossed the phone down on it. 

“I don’t know. Not much of a genius, am I? I can’t even fix something I invented.” Aggravation etched itself on Donnie’s face as he stared at the phone, though he didn’t notice Leo’s harsher expression. 

“Why would you even say that?” 

Donnie looked up from the phone, his eyes wide with surprise and confusion at Leo’s unexpected words. “What… What do you mean, Leo?” 

“Seriously, Donnie?” 

Donnie didn’t think he’d ever seen his brother look so disgusted with him. The younger turtle glanced around his lab, as if he could somehow find the answer to Leo’s anger on his shelves or in his beakers. “Did I say something to offend you…?” Donnie asked slowly, not wanting to accidentally incur more of Leo’s wrath, though it was pointless of him to try and avoid it. Leo looked ready to explode, and Donnie waited for the inevitable scolding or yelling that the leader was prone to every so often… 

But there was nothing. 

The sickened look on Leo’s face slowly dissolved and was replaced with one of disappointment. His tense body fell limp. His arms collapsed by his sides, his head drooped, his whole aura seemed to diminish until there was nearly nothing left. Silence gathered between the two of them and as much as Donnie wanted to break it, he had no idea what to say to his brother. Leo was acting strange to say the least, and Donnie wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. 

“You’re… I mean….” Leo stammered out some words as he tried to find exactly what it was he wanted to say. His now calmer demeanor did nothing to help Donnie relax. If anything, it just made him more nervous. Leo wasn’t as much calm as he was confused, or so it seemed that way to Donnie. The elder turtle’s eyebrows knitted together, his eyes raised upward as he thought about his words, his teeth gritted together to keep himself from spilling out every accusatory thought that entered his mind. 

Though accusatory was the only route Leo knew how to take in this situation. 

“Why are you lying?” His quiet voice made Donnie wonder if he had heard him correctly. 

The younger one shook his head, more so to shake away the shock that came over him. “Lying? I’m not lying! Why do you think I would lie?” 

“Because you are!” 

“I’m not!” 

“You are!” 

“Whatever, Leo. You can leave if you’re just gonna act this way, alright? I don’t know what you’re talking about and I don’t care. I have things to do so if you’re done yelling at me I’ll get back to it.” Donnie held up the T-Phone as he spoke, as if showing it to Leo would somehow make him realize he was acting insane. With a “tsk” of annoyance, Donnie turned his back on his brother and began to examine the T-Phone, or he pretended to. He heard Leo’s feet shuffle out of the lab and the door close with a bang. Fixing the phone was the last thing on Donnie’s mind. It bothered him that Leo thought he was lying about such a thing. 

“I’m not God,” Donnie muttered to himself. “I can’t fix everything, Leo.” His brother’s name left his mouth with venom dripping all over it. To call Donnie a liar because he admitted he couldn’t fix the T-Phone… 

“That’s a lot of damn audacity you have there, Leonardo.” The more Donnie sat there and thought about his brother, the more his confusion turned to anger. He didn’t see his leader in here trying to fix the T-Phone so where did he get off telling Donnie that he was lying when he was trying to do just the opposite. “So much for being humble and honest.” 

By now Donnie was pacing back and forth in front of his desk and he didn’t even realize it. He was far too frazzled to even think about fixing the T-Phone. All he wanted to do was shake Leo until he apologized for calling him a liar right to his face about something he wasn’t even lying about. Donnie continued to work himself up more and more. His pacing grew faster, his feet pounding on the ground as he inhaled and exhaled harshly. Donnie was many things, but he wasn’t a liar. 

“You think cause you’re the leader you can just say these things?” 

Donnie finally looked towards the door. Rather than talk to himself for hours on end about this, he wanted to confront Leo. After fuming in his lab for longer than what was healthy, Donnie stormed towards the door with his hands balled into fists at his sides and his glare honing in on his target. He pulled the doors of his lab open and began his search for his eldest brother, though he didn’t have to look far. He heard grunts and the sound of steel on steel coming from the dojo. His feet took him there before he could think about it, but once he entered the dojo he did nothing. 

Raph and Leo were sparring and had Donnie been there earlier Mikey would have probably been sparring with him as opposed to sitting by wall watching the other two. Splinter had nothing against the brothers interrupting fights; on the contrary he encouraged them to practice the element of surprise. Now would have been a prime time for Donnie to get his anger out and attack Leo by surprise, but he decided instead to show his older brothers respect by not entering their fight. Aside from that, if he were perfectly honest with himself he doubted he could take on both Raph and Leo. Leo was the one he wanted to take down and force an apology from, but Raph wouldn’t let Donnie just waltz in and take his victim without a fight. 

“Dude, you wanna spar?” 

Donnie was torn from his thoughts by Mikey bouncing towards him. The younger one already had his nunchaku out and was ready to go, but Donnie shook his head. 

“I’m waiting for Leo.” 

“Ohh, you wanna fight the big guns? Raph’s not done with him yet, but you’ll get your turn. I think Leo is winning anyway.” Mikey whispered that last part, making Donnie roll his eyes. 

With every day that passed, Leo grew stronger and stronger. He took his responsibility as leader seriously, and thus he trained more often and harder than the other turtles. Donnie was smart enough to know that fighting when he was so angry he could hardly think straight wasn’t the best idea. 

“I don’t want to fight him. He’d kick my ass anyway.” 

“Hey, don’t say that. We’ve taken down both Leo and Raph before. It’s not impossible for us to beat them!” 

“Not impossible, but unlikely.” The glare that Leo shot in Donnie’s direction startled the brilliant turtle. He shivered at the fierceness of his leader’s glare, wondering why he was so focused on him when he should be focusing on Raph. The fact he had heard him was enough to make Donnie’s nerves spread through him like a virus. And that glare… There was no denying that sometimes the brothers annoyed each other, but Leo looked like he wanted to strangle Donnie. 

“Leo thought I was lying about the T-Phone earlier,” Donnie told Mikey, if only to give himself the comfort of someone else knowing what he was dealing with. “He was so mad, and I guess he still is. I think he’s being unreasonable.” 

“He thought you were lying? I guess I thought for a moment you were lying too, but if you say you can’t fix something then why shouldn’t I believe you? You know this stuff better than anyone.” 

Donnie shrugged, his eyes still glued to the sparring brothers. “His level of anger about his own assumption is totally uncalled for! Maybe I’ll show him just how annoying and stupid and… And….” Donnie drifted off as his short moment of bravado quickly fell away to uncertainty. He had wanted to sound strong, saying that he would indeed fight Leo and even beat him, but he knew better. When was the last time he had defeated his leader? 

“Are you sure you don’t want to fight him? It seems like the both of you could let off some steam.” Splinter was always the voice of reason for his sons, but Donnie refused to even look at his father who had joined him and Mikey. 

“I already said that I don’t want to fight him. I just want to talk to him and ask why he thinks I’m such a liar.”

“Perhaps you lied about something and haven’t realized it. Leonardo is not unreasonable. It’s not like him to act that way towards you if he didn’t think you deserved it.” 

“I haven’t lied about anything!” Donnie exclaimed. He shook his head, deciding he wouldn’t bother to defend himself against his father after he’d already tried with Leo. “Look, I’ll just wait for him to finish sparring with Raph and then I’ll talk to him. It’s not like I would beat him anyway.” 

“You think that?” Splinter nudged Donnie, chuckling softly when Mikey copied him. “When someone who wields a bo staff fights against a sword-wielder, who do you think is on the defensive?” 

Donnie rolled his eyes. “The sword-wielder. I know that, sensei, but it doesn’t matter. Even when I have Leo on the defensive he always gets the better of me. Bo staffs are great for strong, heavy attacks, and they’re great against sword-wielders, but that doesn’t mean I can beat Leo.” 

The conversation was interrupted by Raph screaming, then an abrupt cry as he was slammed into the wall beside the others. He groaned as he slowly got to his knees, standing one leg at a time.

“Damn, Leo. You’re pretty harsh today. Had I known you’d be this aggressive I’d have stepped up my game.” 

But Leo was no longer paying attention to Raph. The leader had his sword pointed at Donnie, who was staring wide eyed at the tip of the blade. 

“There you go lying again. What’s wrong with you, Donnie? Why are acting like this?” 

“Me?!” Donnie screamed, unable to control himself. “I’m not acting like anything! You’re the one accusing me of lying and getting all angry and upset over nothing! What the hell am I lying about now, Leo? That bo staffs are stronger than swords? That’s not a lie! You know that! You learned that when we were little!” 

Leo shook his head, again narrowing his eyes at his younger brother. He lowered his sword, though kept it ready as if he expected Donnie to attack him at any moment. “I don’t think we’re on the same page.” 

“You’re damn right we’re not on the same page! Call me a liar again, Leo! I dare you! I’ll show you just how much stronger bo staffs are than swords! Your bones will break before my staff does!” 

In that moment it seemed as if all of Leo’s anger left his body. He was smiling now. Not a teasing or malicious smile, but a genuine one. His tense body relaxed as he opened himself up for Donnie to attack him. “You didn’t have that confidence before. Well, I’m ready. Let’s go.” 

Seeing Leo stand there with his legs wide and feet pressing into the ground, his grip strong on his swords that were a deadly extension of his arms, his features calm, relaxed, poised, and ready for anything instantly made any strength or confidence Donnie might have felt disappear. He quickly backed down, stepping away from his warrior of a brother. How anyone could even pretend to not feel intimidated by Leo was beyond him. Out of all of the brothers Leo was the biggest threat. Raph was strong, but irrational. Where Raph lacked in sense, Leo made up for it. The leader was disciplined, unlike Mikey, and he knew how to utilize that disciplined style with stealth. And unlike Donnie, Leo showed bravery and confidence in even the most difficult of situations. 

Donnie shook his head as he retreated, his thoughts on how Leo was so much better than all the rest of them. 

“Just leave me alone, Leo,” he finally said. Even words were failing him. The one area where Donnie should have been able to take down his brother proved to also be dominated by the leader. Donnie was used to going against people who were unarmed in battles of wit. 

Leo was always armed.

“Stop calling me a liar when I’m not lying about anything. I’m tired of you messing with me, Leo!” 

Donnie would have kept yelling had it not been for the warm hand that rested on his shoulder. He shot a glare towards the hand, though his features softened as soon as he looked into Mikey’s comforting eyes. Even so, his little brother’s calming aura wasn’t enough to stifle the frustration building inside of him. With one last glare towards Leo, Donnie jerked away from Mikey and ran out of the dojo. Everyone looked towards Leonardo who had his eyes on the door. He seemed unfazed. He flicked his swords, took a deep breath, and walked backwards to the middle of the floor. 

“Your turn, Mikey?” It was less of a request and more of a demand. 

The youngest turtle didn’t hesitate to jump up and run towards the leader, his nunchaku ready and eager to be used. 

Donnie hadn’t gone far. He could hear Mikey and Leo fighting from right outside the dojo where he was leaning against the wall. Not even a minute had passed from when he had left to when Mikey began sparring with Leo. Where his little brother found the bravery, the confidence, the stupidity to fight Leo without even forming a strategy, Donnie would never know. 

Part of him believed that he was giving Leo too much credit. The other turtle was strong; no one would ever deny that, but perhaps Donnie was imagining him to be more powerful than he truly was. On any given day Raph could beat Leo in a spar, and the leader had yet to defeat Master Splinter. Mikey and Donnie had less of a chance defeating him, but they could do it. Both of them had done it at one point or another. It could be done. 

“Maybe not.” Donnie whispered his thoughts to no one. He remembered how he couldn’t even fix April’s T-Phone. With his mind where it was right now how could he possibly strategize enough to beat Leo? It was stupid of him to think so. 

“I guess I’m just an idiot today.” 

Donnie jumped when he heard a loud cry and then a slam against the wall. It seemed like Leo had ended the match before it had even begun. 

“Way to prove my point, Leo.” Donnie growled as he pushed himself off the wall and returned to the safety of his lab. As hard as he tried to focus on anything other than his frustration with his older brother, he couldn’t. He would stop midway in writing his formulas and journal entries. Anything he examined was instantly forgotten, which forced him to reexamine and then forget again. Nothing could take his mind from Leo’s accusations. 

“Dammit.” Donnie buried his head in his hands as he muttered to himself. Enough was enough. He wouldn’t be able to do anything at all until he figured out just what Leo was doing to him. Donnie wouldn’t put it past Leo to have some ulterior motive by accusing him of lying. Whatever Leo was planning, Donnie would catch him on it and set things straight. 

Donnie took off in the direction of his brother. He knew exactly where he would be at this time and his knowledge didn’t betray him. There was Leo along with Mikey and Raph, all sitting on the couch together and watching Space Heroes. Donnie wasn’t familiar with the episode that was playing, and he wondered how it was possible that he had missed even one episode considering how often Leo watched it. 

“Dude, I don’t think Captain Ryan is gonna make it!” Mikey cried. He motioned Donnie over when he saw he had entered the room, not noticing just how mad the genius turtle looked. “He answered a distress call, but I bet it’s a trap! It’s always a trap! Donnie! Don! What do you think?” Donnie wasn’t able to get a word in edgewise. His little brother’s constant rambling made it impossible for him to bring up his issues with Leo, not that Leo would have spoken to him about it anyway. It was hard to get him to do anything when Space Heroes was on. The zoned out look on his face and the child like smile he wore told Donnie it was pointless to try to talk to him. 

“What do you mean what do I think?” Donnie asked in a defeated tone, slumping onto the couch next to Mikey. 

“They’re exploring the ship that gave off the distress call, okay, and the ship is all dark and there’s no one around, and all the valuables and clothes and food were left behind! Do you think the ship was attacked by aliens???” It was all Donnie could do to deal with his brother screaming in his ear. Still, it was obvious to him what direction the episode would take. If all of the valuables and food were there, but the crew wasn’t, then aliens most certainly got to them. Ryan would somehow have to fight said aliens and he would win and take whatever valuables were on the ship and ride off into the stars. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what would happen. 

And yet even after analyzing what Mikey had told him and coming to his own conclusions, Donnie said, “I don’t know what’ll happen, Mikey. I’m not good at predicting things. I personally don’t think Captain Ryan is that bright considering he got on a ship that sent out a distress call without analyzing the situation first, but nevertheless I can’t give you my opinion. I’m just not good at this kind of stuff.” 

“Really, Donnie?” 

Everyone jumped at the harsh, scolding tone of Leo’s voice. His eyes were once again glaring daggers at the younger turtle. It was a surprise he had even heard what the other said since he’d been so enthralled with his show. Yet, he had heard him and Donnie knew exactly what was coming next. 

“You’re going to call me a liar again, aren’t you?” 

“Looks like you’re better at predicting things than you thought.” 

“Shut up, Leo!” 

“Why? I just call it like I see it.” 

“And what I am lying about? Huh? Is it because I said Captain Ryan isn’t bright? You disagree with that so it instantly makes me a liar?”

Leo stared at Donnie, slowly shaking his head. “I literally just called you out on your lie. Why are you assuming I’m talking about what you said about Captain Ryan?” 

“I wasn’t lying about me not being able to predict things! It’s not exactly easy to predict the future, Leo! And why do you even care? What are you trying to prove by insinuating that I’m a liar?!” 

“I don’t understand you, Donnie. I don’t understand why you say these things.” For the first time that the turtles had ever seen, Leo stood and walked out in the middle an episode of Space Heroes. Even Donnie was too shocked to say or do anything. The remaining brothers fell into an awkward silence as the episode played through to the end. Even in the midst of this strange situation, Donnie’s lips pulled into a small smile. He had predicted the episode exactly. Everything he thought in his mind manifested itself in the episode. He’d been right all along. 

The proud moment passed quickly, however, and Donnie let out a heavy sigh to release some of the tension in his body. “I guess I should talk to Leo about all of this. He’s been calling me a liar all day.” 

Raph shrugged. “I mean… Have you been lying?” 

“No!” 

“Leo has his reasons, Don,” Mikey said, patting the other on his shoulder. “He’s not really the type to just act on something without thinking about it. Just ask him why he’s doing this. He’ll explain it.” 

Mikey had more trust in Leo than Donnie did. The voice of the leader replayed over and over in Donnie’s mind. He could hear his older brother calling him a liar in that accusatory tone. He could see his unwavering glares. He could feel his anger towards him for what seemed to be no reason. 

“Go talk to him,” came Mikey’s comforting voice. More often than not Donnie found Mikey’s unbreakable trust in all of his brothers more reasonable than Leo’s disciplined self or even Splinter’s words of advice. With a nod, Donnie stood and trudged slowly to Leo’s room. His thoughts consumed him along the way; he could practically see the black cloud of anxiety floating over his head. It made him hesitate to knock on the door, and he didn’t know how long he had been standing outside of it before he finally got the courage to knock. Like always, there was zero hesitation as Leo’s confident voice told him to come in. 

It was always warm in Leo’s room. Not too hot or too cold. Donnie always thought the temperature here was as close to perfect as he would ever experience. It was so comfortable he could fall asleep without even trying. The warmth of the area helped to calm his nerves, and perhaps just the simple serenity of Leo’s so called “sanctuary” was enough to lower his anxiety some. There had always been something calming about Leo. His confidence, his trust, his resolution… All of it built a wall of peace around the turtles that was key to their survival in the deadly battles they often faced. 

Yet, even this calm space was disturbed, if only just a tinge, by the accusations the older turtle had hurled at Donnie. Leo was sitting on his bed, a comic book in his lap, which he was ignoring in favor of his brother. The door shut, and they stared at each other for a moment before Leo opened his mouth. 

“You want to know why I’ve been calling you a liar?” 

“Yes,” Donnie said simply. 

Again there was silence. 

Silence. 

More silence. 

Then the sheets on the bed ruffled as Leo stood. “Why do you say these things about yourself?” he asked. 

“What? What do you mean?” 

“You don’t even realize it. Is that how ingrained these things are in your head? Today with April’s T-Phone you said—“ 

“I said that I couldn’t fix it.” 

“I believe you.” 

Donnie titled his head, his eyes narrowing as he stared at his brother and his mouth falling open just slightly as he tried to find the right words to say. Not once today had Leo made any sense, but it was even worse now. 

“You told me you didn’t believe me.” 

“I wasn’t talking about the T-Phone, Donnie. You had said something else that was a lie. You couldn’t have forgotten, right? Do you remember what you said? What you said that upset me?” 

All Donnie could do was shake his head. He didn’t even try to remember what he could have said to Leo because he knew it would never come to him. He had been so flustered all day that remembering what he had said would be impossible. Still, Leo’s face fell even more and it hurt Donnie to know he had disappointed his older brother so much. 

“You said that you weren’t as smart as you thought you were. That you weren’t much of a genius. Lies, Donnie. All lies.” 

As much as Donnie wanted to pretend that he didn’t grasp what Leo was saying, he knew deep down what Leo wanted him to understand. A few stutters left the younger one’s mouth, but nothing more than that. He was stunned silent by his older brother’s care. There was no denying that Leo cared about all of them, but to pay so much attention… To focus on exactly what Donnie had said even when Donnie didn’t recognize it himself. What Donnie had said about himself meant little to him and yet Leo read past what should have been a throw-away statement. The leader looked deeper into those self-deprecating words and refused to accept them. 

“And then later you said that you couldn’t beat me in a fight. You said it wasn’t impossible, but that it was unlikely. I know I tease you and stuff, but that doesn’t mean you should bring yourself down like that. You’re just as strong as both me and Raph, and you shouldn’t ever think that you couldn’t beat us.” 

“I… I thought that—“ 

“I know. You thought I was talking about how bo staffs are stronger than swords when I called you a liar,” Leo finished his brother’s thought. “That’s not a lie. But what you said about not being able to beat me… That’s a lie and you know it. You’ve beaten me before. Several times even. There’s no reason why you couldn’t do it every time we spar.”

Again, Donnie was stunned silent. His shook his head as he tried to sort out the confusion that had settled in him. “Why didn’t you just tell me that? Why didn’t you say that right then and there in the dojo?” 

“Because for a moment I thought I saw you gain your confidence back. You yelled at me and you were ready to go. I knew you were fired up and you seemed… You seemed like you would stop at nothing to beat me. You could have if you stayed. I would have explained myself to you after we sparred, but you left.”

The pieces were slowly coming together. The fuzziness in Donatello’s mind cleared and he was starting to see the big picture. “You also called me a liar when we were watching Space Heroes. Why? It’s not possible to predict the future.” 

“You do it all the time.” 

“What?” 

“I mean… You’re a scientist.” Leo shifted his weight from one foot to the other, for once looking uncomfortable as he explained his thought process. “You always predict things. You predict results and you’re usually right about them. You like to strategize and predict how situations will occur so you can plan accordingly. You can even make several plans based on all kinds of possible outcomes. It’s not an understatement to say you can predict the future, you know? I bet if you tried, you would have predicted that episode of Space Heroes perfectly.” 

“Leo…” 

“I mean I don’t know exactly what being a scientist entails, but I know you have to figure out how things will react or how things will end up or what might happen depending on certain variables. You’re a genius, Donnie. You’re amazing. And I got angry today because everything you said about yourself was a lie. You’re so smart, Donnie. You’re a great fighter. You’re a great scientist who can predict pretty much any outcome to any situation. So why did you tangle yourself in this web of lies? Why do you lie about yourself so often?” 

Donnie didn’t like to show weakness in front of his brothers, but it was hard for him to keep his emotions in check. He was a romantic at heart. He was sensitive at his core. He was impatient and his impatience always reared it’s ugly head. He wasn’t as quick to anger as Raph, but he could snap just as easily if he was on edge. He was all of these things and everyone knew it, but it always annoying to him that he wore his heart on his sleeve. 

Especially now. 

He couldn’t stop as tears formed in his eyes. He didn’t sob or hiccup or lose control. He simply stood there and let the few tears fall down his cheek as Leo spoke. 

It was nice to be noticed. It was nice to be recognized. It was nice for someone to finally look at him and not only acknowledge what great things he was capable of, but also acknowledge that Donnie himself couldn’t see that greatness. Donnie tried. He tried so hard to find his specialties, to figure out what made him important and what made him stand out amongst his three amazing brothers. Sure, he was smart, but he often failed. He remembered these failures well, but Leo didn’t. Leo saw his accomplishments. He saw how intelligent he was. He saw what a great ninja he was. 

“I don’t see what you see, Leo,” Donnie finally said. He took a deep shuddering breath to try and force his loose tears back. “When I look in the mirror I don’t see someone who can beat the leader. I don’t see someone who can solve every problem. I don’t see someone who is….” 

“A genius.”

“Yeah.”

If only it was easy to convince Donnie that everything Leo believed was true. Leo knew he could go on for hours about Donnie’s incredible abilities. Everything from his ninja training to his intelligence was something to brag about, but it didn’t matter. Every word that would leave his mouth would go unheard by the younger turtle. All of the praise would run right past him and he would continue to believe that he was worth less than his brothers. His confidence would still remain as low as it was now. If he did agree with Leo on one thing or another it would be just to placate him and get him to stop talking. Leo knew this. He knew all of this and so he decided not to praise Donnie. He decided not to try and convince him of his greatness. 

“That’s fine, Donnie,” Leo said with a simple shrug of his shoulders. He smiled softly at the confused expression his brother now wore. Leo went to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay that you don’t see what I see. I can’t expect you to think well yourself overnight. That won’t happen. I think this all a process. A progression. You’ll start to feel the same way I do when you’re ready.” 

“Leo….” 

“You’re too hard on yourself, Donnie. That’s one of your problems. But, you’ll see yourself in a better light soon enough and I’ll help you. Mikey and Raph will too. So… Don’t think so little of yourself. Okay? The time to start making a change is now.” 

It had been a long time since Donnie felt a hint of pride. It was small; it didn’t well up inside him and suddenly change everything he thought about himself. It was just like Leo said; it would be a process, but this was a good start. Donnie heard everything Leo had said about him loud and clear. He heard his praises and his compliments. He knew what Leo admired about him. He knew these things made him great even if he didn’t feel it in his heart quite yet. 

Now was the time to start remembering his achievements instead of his failures. Now was his time to plan and strategize and make the most of his experiments and inventions. Now was the time to know that for as strong as Leo was, he could be stronger. Now was the time for him to start seeing himself for the great person he was. 

“I don’t know how long it’ll take to see myself that way, Leo.” 

“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere so just go at your own pace.” Leo spoke with an ease that made Donnie believe this impossible task was as simple as it sounded. “I’ll be right there with you the entire way. You’ll see.” Leo’s smile widened. “None of us will let you go on much longer with your confidence like this. You’ll see what we see. You’ll see.” 

Donnie returned the smile and the two left the room together. Even with Leo and his brothers backing him, Donnie left the conversation feeling like nothing much had changed about him, but he knew the journey was just beginning. He was finally ready to see himself how others saw him. 

He was finally ready to change.

**Author's Note:**

> I went back and forth deciding who should be the one to notice Donnie's lies. I eventually decided on Leo because I think out of all them he would hesitate the most to explain himself. Raph would tell Donnie right off the bat to stop saying such things and Mikey would encourage him the moment he noticed. Leo sometimes doesn't always know how to approach such situations. He means well XD


End file.
